The New Ocean

"This is a new ocean," said President Kennedy, ''and I believe that the U.S. must sail on it." The President, still tingling from a day of thrill and suspense shared by the nation and the world, was paying tribute to Lieut. Colonel John Herschel Glenn Jr., 40, the freshly commissioned admiral of that new ocean. As the focus of a mighty team effort involving a host of fiercely dedicated men, vast technological skills and millions of dollars of the national wealth. John Glenn accomplished on his flight through the heavens--which he laconically called a "successful outing"--far more than a brief and exciting escape from man's earthbound environment.

> In terms of national prestige. Glenn's flight put the U.S. back in the space race with a vengeance, and gave the morale of the U.S. and the entire free world a huge and badly needed boost. Contrasted with earlier Russian shots, it was a great victory for the open society that produced Glenn--and proved the wisdom, in terms that Wilson might have used, of "open shots openly viewed."

> Technically, it justified and redeemed the long labors, careful planning and exacting standards of the U.S. space program, into which the nation has hopefully --and with occasional impatience--poured more than several billion dollars.

> For man himself, still a child in his knowledge of space, it produced some valuable lessons. Because the Russians had released little data about Astronauts Gagarin and Titov, the world knew with certainty for the first time that, at least for the period Glenn spent in space, a healthy and well-conditioned man could face the forces of gravity and weightlessness with no ill effects. By taking over the controls himself and proving that man can "fly" a capsule through space. Glenn also struck a blow for man's genius and versatility, answering the critics who claim that instruments can do anything better in space than man. Said Glenn: "Now we can get rid of some of that automatic equipment and let man take over."

Pablo's Brother. To President Kennedy, the impact of Glenn's historic flight went "far beyond our own time and our own country." That impact was felt immediately by a watching and waiting world. Some 135 million Americans stared transfixed at their TV sets for hours as Glenn made his orbits, and everyone from Queen Elizabeth to Bedouins in Middle Eastern fields anxiously followed Glenn's progress.

When Glenn returned safely to earth, people everywhere heaved a vast sigh of relief, and tributes began pouring into the U.S. President Kennedy received messages of congratulation from more than 30 heads of state--including Nikita Khrushchev. The pleasure at Glenn's success was shared so widely that even Spain's Pablo Picasso, the Communists' peace-dove artist, was moved to say: "I am as proud of him as if he were my brother."

The pride in Glenn's feat rose not only from the free world's satisfaction that America had begun moving in space, but from a personal concern that Glenn, the man alone in space, should succeed in his mission. The U.S. and the world had watched him undergo ten frustrating postponements, and could remember the anguish on his haggard face last January as he patiently waited his chance to orbit the globe--or die trying.

For the U.S.. Glenn's flight is only the beginning. The next man to orbit will probably be Astronaut Donald K. Slayton, 37, an Air Force major, a combat veteran of World War II, a fighter test pilot and an aeronautical engineer. Slayton is scheduled to take off on a three-orbit flight sometime this spring.

Trail Blazer. Following Slayton, U.S. space officials now plan to send astronauts on at least three more three-orbit flights, which will lead up to an 18-orbital shot sometime late this year or early in 1963. With more powerful rockets under development, the U.S. hopes to launch two-man capsules by 1964, keep them in orbit for as long as two weeks (U.S. scientists estimate that the Soviet Union may try a two-man orbital flight most any day). Most ambitious of foreseeable U.S. space flights is Project Apollo, which aims at putting three men on the moon--and bringing them back--by 1968.

At his press conference. John Glenn emphasized the point that the exploration of space was still in its primitive stages. Raising his hand above his head, he illustrated his point like a schoolmaster: if the diameter of the earth were scaled down to about 80 in., he said, his flight had brought him only 1 1/3 in. above it. "If you think of the enormity of space, it makes our efforts seem puny." he said. "But these are all step-by-step functions we go through. The manned flights we've had to date have added information. This flight, I hope, added a bit more. And there are more to come."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.